GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Kenyon College men's swimming and diving team began its journey at the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship, finishing second in the team standings after day one. The Owls racked up 80.5 points over four events and are only looking up at Emory University (110.5 points), the reigning national champions, in the standings.

The night's final event, the 200-yard medley relay, produced Kenyon's biggest highlight of the first day. The Owls' quartet of Yurii Kosian, Luis Weekes, Marko Krtinic, and Cherantha De Silva set a new varsity record after clocking in at 1:26.76. The time gave Kenyon a third-place finish after the top two teams broke the previous NCAA mark. Weekes and De Silva were part of the previous Kenyon varsity record of 1:27.42 that fell, setting it alongside David Fitch and Marcus Hong on Feb. 14, 2020.

Kenyon's best individual finish came in the first event of the evening, the 500-yard freestyle. Bryan Fitzgerald, last year's NCAA champion in the event, finished third with a time of 4:22.70. The time set a new season-best for the Owls. The senior received his 12th All-American honor and was one of two Owls to earn spots on this year's first team.

Djordje Dragojlovic was the team's other All-America first-team honoree after tying for a fifth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. The first-year touched the wall in 20.02 seconds, setting a new personal-best mark. The time would be a new team-best for the Owls, but De Silva clocked in at 19.83 to finish first in the consolation final and ninth overall. Krtinic (20.05) was not far behind in 11th as the duo secured spots on the All-America second team.

Noah Hargrove rounded out the evening with a 13th-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. The junior posted a time of 1:49.30, adding four points to the Owls' team total and earning an All-America second-team nod.

Kenyon will return for day two of the four-day championship tomorrow, when five swimming events, including two relays, are on deck before the men's one-meter diving competition. Preliminary heats begin at 10 a.m. before the final heats start at 6 p.m.